46
Top40BookClubReadsNON-FICTION
For readers interested in the roots of the
Islamic State and its creator, this is a great
book to start with.
Joby Warrick is a reporter for The Washington
Post and a Pulitzer Prize winner for his
journalism about the Middle East. In this book
he traces the origins of the Islamic state of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) by describing the
main characters behind this rise. Abu Musab
Al-Zarqawi (the founding father), a Jordanian
and very adept organiser who carried out
violent activities in both Iraq and Jordan, and
his successor Abu Hamza al-Baghdadi, who
succeeded in establishing the ISIS caliphate.
The reader also learns about the intelligence
networks of both Jordan and U.S. (CIA) – and
how they tracked terrorist groups.
Black Flags is a detailed, step-by-step political
and historical narrative demonstrating how
repeated miscalculations by the United
States, Arab leaders and al-Qaeda may have
quickly empowered the Islamic State.
What should I read next?
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of
Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks
Black Flags:
The Rise of ISIS
Joby Warrick
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